THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Multidisciplinary analysis of financial reference points and wellbeing. The aim is to find how to improve financial decisions (i) during unexpected economic shocks, and (ii) by the socially disadvantaged. The project will produce the first large-scale evidence on heterogeneity in benchmarks (reference points) against which people evaluate financial alternatives and the role of such benchmarks in financial risk-taking and in creating and perpetuating economic inequality. The expected outcomes include transformed interdisciplinary understanding of financial decisions and significantly greater capacity for multidisciplinary collaboration. The findings will inform policy on promoting financial wellbeing and to mitigate the devastating effects of sudden economic shocks such as that of COVID-19. Field of research: 3801 - Applied Economics Currently, many Australians are experiencing the economic consequences of COVID-19 which affect their financial decision-making. Sudden changes in the economic climate affect people’s perceived financial options, willingness to take risks, degree to which they want to avoid loss, and propensity to make mistakes in decisions. Based on recent discoveries in neuroscience about how the brain incorporates past experience into current perception, this project will develop and test new theories of how people’s past economic experiences influence their subsequent economic decisions,. This can provide a scientific foundation to improve the financial wellbeing of all Australians. Important insights into financial behaviour in the post-pandemic path to economic recovery in Australia will help prepare for the next crisis.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Approximation theory of structured neural networks . Mathematical theory for deep learning has been desired due to the power applications of deep neural networks to deal with big data in various practical domains. The main difficulty lies in the structures and architectures imposed to networks designed for specific learning tasks. Neither the classical approximation theory nor the recent one for depths of ReLU neural networks can be applied due to the structures imposed for processing large dimensional data such as natural images of tens of thousands of dimensions. This project aims at an approximation theory for structured neural networks. We plan to establish mathematical theories for deconvolution with deep convolutional neural networks, operator learning, and spectral graph networks. Field of research: 4903 - Numerical and Computational Mathematics Australia has been a world-leader in the research of kernel-based learning theory and a driving force in deep learning studies. The recently developed fields of data science and data analytics raise the need of a rigorous mathematical theory for designing robust and explainable deep neural networks for dealing with big data. The recent investment of one billion dollars from Google to Google Australia is an example, where one of the three strategic areas to invest in research is machine learning fundamentals. This project is along this direction and provides fundamentals for deep learning of big data. When the dimension of the data like natural images is of tens of thousands, structures and architectures need to be imposed to reduce the computing complexity for specific learning tasks. The classical approximation theory or the recent one for depths of ReLU networks does not apply to such situations. The approximation theory for structured neural networks we plan to establish in this project will solve some challenging problems and provide theoretical clues for designing structures and architectures of deep neural networks according to various practical applications, from speeches, images, to natural language processing. Our research findings can not only answer some questions of why deep neural networks are super-efficient, but also provide methodologies and new deep learning algorithms for solving some practical problems arising from industry, economics, and social studies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Understanding Mitotic Telomere Deprotection. This project aims to study telomeres, the DNA and protein structures that protect chromosome ends. During cell division, cells under stress intentionally uncap their telomeres. This project expects to generate new knowledge that challenges the conventional notion of telomeres as static elements, showing instead that telomeres can be dynamic signalling hubs. Expected outcomes of this project include an understanding of the genetic, proteomic, and signalling pathways involved in this novel phenomenon. This should provide significant benefits to our fundamental understanding of biological processes that protect human genomes and provide a valuable dataset for research on telomere biology, DNA repair, and genome stability. Field of research: 3105 - Genetics Telomeres are essential biological structures that normally cap and protect chromosome ends. This research project aims to elucidate the novel mechanism of "mitotic telomere deprotection", where telomeres are actively uncapped in response to cellular stress. The project challenges conventional belief that telomeres are static features, suggesting instead that telomeres can serve as dynamic signalling elements that propagate cell outcomes. The study will contribute fundamental knowledge in telomeres, genome stability, and DNA repair, benefitting the Australian biotechnology and pharma industries. This understanding will also contribute to technological development of tissue engineering and in the cellular production of biological materials. The publicly available interactomics data set generated from this study will be an invaluable resource for Australian telomere and genome stability researchers. This project will also train the next generation of researchers in advanced technology, including super-resolution microscopy, proteomics, and molecular biology, contributing to Australia’s growing biotechnology sector.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Generative Visual Pre-training on Unlabelled Big Data. This project aims to develop a generative visual pre-training of large-scale deep neural networks on unlabelled big data. Developing pre-trained visual models that are accurate, robust, and efficient for downstream tasks is a keystone of modern computer vision, but it poses challenges and knowledge gaps to existing unsupervised representation learning. Expected outcomes include new theories and algorithms for unsupervised visual pre-training, which are anticipated to deepen our understanding of visual representation and make it easier to build and deploy computer vision applications and services. Examples of benefits include modernising machines in manufacturing and farming with visual intelligence. Field of research: 4611 - Machine Learning Australian businesses, government agencies and the general public are increasingly concerned with the most cutting-edge AI technology, growing and attracting the world’s best AI talent, and using AI to solve significant national challenges. But when innovations are happening at a break-neck speed, concentrating efforts on building every module of an AI system could prove counterproductive, setting companies back financially, especially start-ups. Advanced visual pre-training techniques and models from this project can simplify and accelerate the development of intelligent vision systems, which will benefit local industries and make Australia more worldwide competitive. Pre-trained visual models can be adopted as backbones in various downstream vision tasks, e.g., image classification, object detection, and segmentation. They could be called on to help us fight disasters such as wildfires, storms, and floods by, for example, linking remote monitoring systems (e.g., hyperspectral images) and helping responders detect issues early. Drones can harness computer vision systems to map, monitor, and plan food production, allowing farmers and growers to assist them in efficiently planning their fields to maximise harvests and reduce waste.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Harnessing the Power of Wind: Revolutionising Wind Farm Optimisation. This project aims to develop a rigorous, efficient and accurate framework for optimisation of control policies for complete wind farms. It expects to generate new knowledge in data-driven physics informed transient aerodynamic and structural modelling of entire wind farms, generation of low order yet sufficiently accurate models using machine learning, and game-theoretic and model predictive control techniques for operation of an entire wind farm. Expected outcomes are engineering tools to tackle wind farm inefficiencies totalling $700m/year in Australia alone, contributing to energy stability, security and lowered emissions aligned to the National Science and Research Priority ‘Energy’. Field of research: 4012 - Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering Wind farms powered the equivalent of more than 5 million Australian homes, 12.5% of the total power generated in 2022. Australia's long term emissions reduction plan expects to see at least a doubling of this production by 2030, with similar statements to state-led strategies. However, it is estimated that inefficiencies in current wind farm operations contribute more than 20% of the cost of energy production. Existing wind farm operational models are not sufficiently accurate to underpin accurate control and optimisation. Bringing together world leading research in aerodynamics, structural dynamics, power systems, machine learning, control and optimisation, this project will develop and prove a high fidelity wind farm optimisation framework. This framework would help tackle $700m of inefficiencies across Australian wind farms each year. This project includes a NSW wind farm case study provided by the number one producer of wind power in the world, Iberdrola. This will accelerate the research translation pathway to enable efficiency improvements and wind energy cost reductions in Australia and worldwide.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes include an increased ability to prevent soil failures by utilising these sensors to monitor stress levels underground. This should provide significant benefits for saving critical infrastructure from environmental and geotechnical failures, including landslides, tunnel collapses, and tailings dam damages. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering This project aims to develop a ground-breaking solution to the significant shortcomings of current stress sensors, which cannot withstand harsh pressures and deformations. Unlike traditional sensors with solid parts, the project will address this gap by designing a novel family of sensors filled with granules. The ability of granular media to sustain deformation and switch between solid and fluid states makes the proposed sensors appealing for geotechnology and ground robotics. In geotechnology, these sensors could provide warnings ahead of potential soil failures that can compromise the resilience of critical infrastructure, thus preventing life-threatening consequences and environmental disasters, while reducing maintenance costs and benefiting the Australian economy. In soft robotics, they could help ground robots better sense and manoeuvre through challenging debris and rubble during search and rescue operations, and assist civil engineers in soil reinforcement and exploration. One significant outcome of this research will be the development of commercial-ready sensors. By the end of the project, the newly fabricated sensors could be deployed in trial studies by industrial partners. Moreover, we expect that the students involved in this project could help develop a spin-off company upon graduation, thus maximising the practical outreach of the sensors and promoting Australia’s higher education as a world-leader in geotechnical engineering and explorations.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Explaining virus diversity. To prevent virus pandemics, it is necessary to understand how viruses evolve. This project aims to reveal the long-term trends, processes and drivers of RNA virus diversity and evolution. Through the metagenomic sequencing of the viromes of Australian animals that mark evolutionary innovations and transitions this project will reshape our knowledge of virus evolution and disease emergence. Expected outcomes will be a new understanding of how virus diversity is created, how virus phenotypes have changed through time, how often viruses jump to new host species, and how major events in animal evolution have shaped virus diversity. Key benefits include new measures of the viral burden faced by Australia’s native animals and of ecosystem health. Field of research: 3104 - Evolutionary Biology Viral diseases pose an ongoing threat to Australian wildlife. The potentially devastating impact of emerging viruses makes it imperative to understand the factors that drive virus evolution and host jumping. We will address these issues by revealing the diversity, abundance and evolution of viruses in diverse Australian animals. Central to our proposal is understanding the viruses of Australian corals. Coral reefs in Australia and globally are in decline because of factors such as thermal stress events, pollution, predatory outbreaks and diseases. This decline is leading to a marked loss of biodiversity in marine ecosystems, with major environmental, cultural and economic sequences. Coral diseases are one of the most significant factors contributing to coral reef degradation. We will determine the natural virome of corals, a measure of ecosystem health, and whether corals are exposed to invasive viral pathogens. The research proposed here is strongly in the national interest because it will: (i) identify the viruses present in Australian animals, including such species as corals, starfish, sea urchins, tunicates and lamprey, providing a measure of their health status, and (ii) determine the factors that shape the long-term evolution of viruses, particularly their ability to emerge in new species. The data generated will transform our understanding of virus diversity, evolution and emergence, helping to protect Australia’s unique fauna from devastating infectious diseases.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Evaluating the Network Neuroscience of Human Cognition to Improve AI. This project will translate the brain’s inherent complexity into a set of explorable networks that will test the network theory of intelligence, and also be used to drive advances in next generation artificial neural networks. Our approach will catalyse new knowledge regarding how the complexity of the brain gives rise to cognition using innovative analyses inspired by physics and engineering. This fresh perspective on cognition will accelerate understanding of normal cognitive function and also advance the development of advances in artificial neural network performance. Expected outcomes include methods to describe the computational signature of how cognition emerges from dynamic brain network activity and novel AI algorithms. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences Australia is an emerging world leader in human neuroimaging and systems neuroscience, and is ideally poised to play an even more impactful role in the near future. This project extends that leadership by addressing a major gap in our understanding of how distributed neural activity supports cognitive function. This will open new vistas in the understanding of brain function and how coordinated activity distributed around the brain is causally related to cognition and intelligence. The new knowledge gained will underpin new developments in treating brain disorders, the enhancement of artificial intelligence and the development of new principles of information processing, with potentially very large economic, commercial and social dividends. Maintenance of Australia's pre-eminence in neuroscience is an important cultural objective, and the new knowledge that will be gained has a high probability of underpinning new developments in treating brain disorders, the enhancement of artificial intelligence and the development of new principles of information processing, with potentially very large economic, commercial and social dividends. These benefits include increased efficiency of artificial intelligence algorithms, augmentation of advanced robotics and increased awareness of how our brain activity forms the basis of our capacity to make informed decisions. This will be achieved by integrating advances in systems neuroscience with modern artificial intelligence approaches.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Root effects on soil organic matter: a double-edged sword. This project aims to understand how plant roots build and destroy soil organic matter in grasslands and what the impacts are of drought. Soil organic matter is the largest terrestrial reservoir of nutrients for plant growth, but paradoxically, formation of new soil organic matter by plant roots also requires external nutrients. This project will address this apparent paradox by using a new root-centric framework and stable isotope techniques. The project will use state-of-the art computer models that incorporate the latest frameworks on soil organic matter interacting with plant roots. Benefits include an improved capacity to manage and predict grassland productivity and soil organic matter dynamics with greater resolution and accuracy. Field of research: 4106 - Soil Sciences Grasslands in Australia store enormous amounts of carbon in their soils, and have the potential to soak up more carbon from the atmosphere to combat climate change. However, with prolonged droughts in Australia, there is much uncertainty how these large soil carbon pools will be affected. This project will examine the key role that plant roots have on forming and destroying soil carbon under drought and non-drought conditions. It will investigate management practices, including fertiliser use to store more carbon in soil via the activity of plant roots. Computer models will be used to make long-term predictions about drought effects on soil carbon. This project will provide important information to improve soil quality and food production, thereby benefiting the livestock industry in Australia. It strongly aligns with the Australian Government priority area in Soil and Water for a better understanding of sustainable limits for productive use of soil, as well as the Climate Change Policy for a better understanding and adaptation to climate change.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Liquid metal solvents for high entropy and atomically configured systems. Significant challenges remain in developing high entropy alloys, which are future disruptors in metallurgy, ranging from configurational entropy to atomic ordering. To address such challenges, we will explore liquid metal solvents for synthesising high entropy and atomically configured systems from the combination of reactive and high melting point elements stabilised in metallic solvents. Molecular imprinting, mechanical and electrochemical triggers will control interfacial atomic organisation and precipitation. The growth mechanisms, both at the interface and in the bulk, will be explored by high energy probing techniques and computational simulations. We will offer new metallurgical paradigms for future catalysis and sensing concepts. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Australia is rich in mineral resources, particularly metals, and holds a dominant position as the world's largest producer. The ability to turn Australia's abundant metal resources into cutting-edge technologies through efficient and sustainable methods is vital to enhancing Australia's capacity to produce high-value and strategic products. In this regard, the development of advanced alloys is the next frontier for Australia's manufacturing sector. Advanced alloys and materials are of strategic global importance due to their unique combination of properties, including high strength, corrosion resistance, and improved thermal and electrical characteristics, making them suitable for a wide range of applications in various industries including aerospace, marine, transportation, energy and even household appliances manufacturing. Our recent discoveries show the possibility to access the manufacturing of advanced alloys and configurations at unprecedented accuracies and at low temperatures using liquid metals. However, still much more discoveries remain be achieved to make liquid metal technologies a reality for industries internationally. In this project, we will explore liquid metal solvent technologies to produce high-value advanced products at low energy consumption. The outcomes of this project will position Australia at the forefront of industries that deal with mining, materials transformation and creating added value products for multibillion dollar future ventures.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Learning the meso-scale organization of complex networks. This project aims to model and learn the organization of online social networks. We will combine mathematical models, inference, and domain knowledge from computational social sciences to obtain interpretable descriptions of the role groups of users play in the network. The expected outcomes are new mathematical models and computational methods that learn from data how to best decompose a complex network into building blocks and their interactions, linking connectivity to function. This should provide benefits to industries and policy makers interested in how information spreads in social media, including the critical questions of understanding the mechanisms contributing to political polarization and fragmentation. Field of research: 4901 - Applied Mathematics This project will develop mathematical theory and computational tools that are needed to understand how large online complex networks are organized. Both the understanding and tools are of national interest because of the increasingly important role played by network data-analysis in the economy and by online social networks in the spreading of information. Social media is already one of the main sources of communication and information for the Australian population, with 75% of the population using it (with half as a source of news), and is at the core of some of the most important political debates in liberal democracies (e.g., spreading of misinformation, growth of political polarization) and particularly relevant in Australia (e.g., the role of misinformation in the 2019/2020 bushfire season and during COVID-19 vaccination). These are questions of great societal and economical interest in which fundamental research on online network is essential to complement research performed by social-media corporations. The knowledge and computational methods developed in this project will be made public and contribute to a transparent, ethical, and reproducible scientific investigation of these topics, aligned with the public and national interests. This project will also create capacity in the important field of Data Science, an area of economic interest and with a current shortage of personnel.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Unlocking self-healing bio-concrete through multiscale modelling. Self-healing bio-concrete, which uses bacteria as means to repair cracks, has the potential to revolutionise the construction industry and reduce the infrastructure repair and maintenance cost by billions of dollars annually. To unlock this, we need to understand the bacterial self-healing mechanisms for effective control of the performance. This project will develop a multiscale framework to describe the competing mechanisms between crack widening and healing at the macro-scale, incorporated with key information of substances diffusion and bio-cementation at the meso- and micro-scales. This will enable to optimise the self-healing of bio-concrete via design–test–learn approach and enhance the durability of structures under sustained loads. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Concrete is the backbone of our built environment; however, its lifespan is limited by deterioration induced by cracks under sustained loads. Costs to replace structures in fair condition will require from $106 billion to $138 billion in Australia. Self-healing bio-concrete, which uses bacteria as means to repair cracks, has the potential to revolutionise the construction industry and significantly reduce the infrastructure repair and maintenance cost. The development of bio-concrete, however, has mostly relied on trial-and-error based experiments and is hindered by the lack of models for revealing the underlying mechanisms of bacterial self-healing. This project will introduce a multiscale model to describe self-healing behaviour using coupled micro- and meso-scale models of chemical reactions and transport processes with macro-scale models of fracture mechanics. This project will unlock the self-healing modelling by delivering the much-needed framework to understand the mechanisms of bacterial self-healing and accelerate the development of self-healing bio-concrete by guiding experiments through the design–test–learn approach. This will enable the transition of self-healing bio-concrete into engineering practice, dominating the self-healing concrete market, which is projected to reach $6 billion in 2032, and to enhance the durability of infrastructure under sustained loads with significant economic benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Developing Accessible Playgrounds for Children with Vision Impairment. Children who are blind or have low vision (BLV) often have difficulties accessing and interacting with playgrounds, most of which are not equipped to support them. Through consultation, collaboration and co-creation with the BLV community, foundational knowledge on the user experience of playgrounds, an evaluation framework for auditing existing playgrounds and design guidelines for creating or retrofitting playgrounds will be developed that support the unique challenges of BLV children and carers. Importantly it will promote access, orientation, physical and social play for BLV children, with improved cognitive, physical and social development, thus enabling a more inclusive and healthy society. Field of research: 3301 - Architecture Children with vision impairment have the right to a childhood that provides them with every opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. However, these children face different and more challenges to their peers without disability. One challenge in which Australia lags is in providing public playgrounds that can be accessed by people with disabilities such as children who are blind or have low vision (BLV) and their families. The Government recognizes that access to urban open and public spaces should be universal for all people; one outcome described in the Australian Government's National Disability Strategy (2020) is that Australia must strive for inclusive and accessible communities. This project addresses this gap by investigating playgrounds as places for education, movement, health and community making. It evaluates existing strategies for enabling council, communities, and family to support and empower children with disability; produce knowledge, design tools, practice guidelines and novel play equiment. In doing so, this project should provide [who? playground designers, policymakers and urban planners with tools needed to create suitably accessible playgrounds], ultimately leading to more inclusive public spaces, better educational and social outcomes for blind and low-vision children and their families who can use these important spaces of learning, and ultimately a more equitable and cohesive Australian society.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Mathematics for future magnetic devices. The aim of this project is to develop a mathematical theory and numerical models of stochastic partial differential equations for magnetic nano-structures. Such materials will yield next-generation magnetic memories with up to three orders of magnitude faster switching speeds and dramatically increased data storage density. New mathematical theories will help understand their sensitivity to small random fluctuations that can destroy stored information. This project aims to revolutionise mathematical modelling of magnetic memories and put Australia at the forefront of international research. Technological advances to create much smaller and faster memory devices are expected to enable groundbreaking ways of managing and mining big data Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics Magnetic memories are principal devices for storing information. Their next generation will require greatly increased access speed and data-storage capacity. This project will develop the mathematical theory of new magnetic memory materials, a crucial first step in their understanding and being able to finetune their properties. Numerical simulations of realistic systems will help to identify optimal designs, towards practical implementation. Ultrafast, high-capacity memories will underpin technological advances for the entire society and the economy, from new business solutions, better e-health, improved security for the Australian and global community, and faster internet. The project will foster the international competitiveness of Australian research, as it will generate publications in high impact journals. This will establish Australia as a world leader in nanomagnetics research, and expand the Australian knowledge base and research capability in mathematics. It will also incentivise long term collaborations with leading centres of research in Europe. Advanced training of students will provide them with expertise highly sought in the telecommunication industry, military institutions and in weather prediction. This will help maintain high standing of Australian Universities as destination centres of research and learning for domestic and international students.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Discovering the molecular controls of epigenetic inheritance . This project aims to investigate the way in which acquired traits can be inherited. The environment that an individual is exposed to can change the characteristics of not only that individual, but also their children and grandchildren. We do not yet understand the mechanisms by which this “epigenetic inheritance” occurs. Using interdisciplinary approaches, this project combines the power of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans with cutting-edge single molecule microscopy techniques to determine the molecular mechanisms by which the environment can impact future generations. This should ultimately provide society with the means to harness the power of epigenetics. Field of research: 3105 - Genetics This project aims to determine the molecular mechanisms by which epigenetic inheritance occurs. Epigenetic inheritance is, broadly speaking, the ability of the environment to alter the phenotype of not just the individual exposed to a that environment, but also their children and subsequent generations. Many examples of epigenetic inheritance have been described in a range of species. Most of these examples are in species that breed rapidly and can be grown under controlled conditions, but there are studies from humans that suggest epigenetic inheritance is also an important factor in human health. Equally as important is the role that epigenetic inheritance may play in agriculture. For example, higher temperatures can have a deleterious effect plant growth. It is well known that epigenetic inheritance occurs frequently in plants, and higher temperatures can affect the impacted plants and their offspring. In many cases we do not know if the epigenetic inheritance will be protective or harmful. If the effect is harmful, understanding the mechanisms will allow us to prevent it. Conversely, if the effective is protective, we could harness epigenetics to help prepare future generations for a changing environment. This project will use a model organism to answer big questions about epigenetics, with far-reaching outcomes in applications such as agriculture and human health.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Improving digital sexual literacy in Australia. This project aims to theorise digital sexual literacy in Australia and identify useful interventions aimed at increasing this literacy. We will map the ecosystem of digital Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) in Australia, identifying the ways in which Australians both consume sexual images and represent themselves as sexual beings in digital contexts. This data will be used to theorise digital sexual literacy, including both the "reading" and "writing" of sexual representations. The data will inform the formulation of useful interventions to support increases in digital sexual literacy in Australia. Field of research: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies Following the passage of the 2021 Online Safety Act in Australia, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner has been granted additional powers to improve the online safety of Australians. The question of digital sexual literacy – that is, how Australians both consume digital sexual images and represent themselves as sexual beings in digital contexts - is a key part of such work. This project will provide valuable data to stakeholders including policymakers, public servants, sex educators, health promotion practitioners and researchers about the ways in which Australians are consuming and producing sexual representations in a digital context.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Mapping Creativity in Captivity during WWII. The project will map the little known cultural production by Italian Prisoners of War from 1940 to 1947. By analysing Italian detainees' creativity in Australia and elsewhere in the world, it will develop a new transnational approach to understanding the experience of captivity and of the many interactions between individuals and communities during WWII. The expected outcomes include new cross-cultural knowledge of migration and wartime experiences and of the beneficial power of creative action for individuals’ wellbeing, still relevant today as we witness emergency lockdowns and peoples dislocated by wars. International collaboration and digital resources will bring the results beyond an academic audience to public and policymakers alike. Field of research: 4705 - Literary Studies The cultural heritage produced by Italian prisoners of war and detainees in Australia during WWII demonstrates how creativity flourishes under conditions of dislocation and incarceration and foregrounds the cultural and artistic contribution of war-displaced people to Australia’s development as a multicultural nation. This project will benefit Australians by enhancing understanding of the anxieties, aspirations and resilience of individuals and communities during wartime. Comparing the experience of Italian wartime detainees in Australia with those in other countries produces new knowledge about the transnational role of creativity. Public outreach and digital resources will fill an important gap in our historical narrative, helping Australia to make sense of our social and cultural diversity in ways that can inform education, arts programs, community action and policy initiatives. The project advances Australia’s national interests by providing a better understanding of how individuals and groups interact in conditions of confinement, and the key role of creative action in promoting solidarity and kinship.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Artificial intelligence in education: Democratising policy. The rapid introduction of artificial intelligence into education is occurring with inadequate policy support. Additionally, there is a lack of stakeholder input into decisions about the use of AI in education. Utilising social science and data science approaches, this project aims to democratise policy about AI in education by building tools to monitor policies, and developing collaborative policy making methods. The expected outcomes include publicly available policy resources to anticipate, and respond to, the role of AI in education, and participatory frameworks for policy making. The benefits include informed stakeholder engagement, and concrete policy recommendations that are globally relevant and adaptable to the Australian context. Field of research: 3902 - Education Policy, Sociology and Philosophy In 2022 the controversy over the release of ChatGPT showed how artificial intelligence is already shaping the future of education. Yet, the rapidly escalating introduction of AI in education is occurring with inadequate policy support. It is crucial that policies be developed to harness the transformative potential of AI in fair and ethical ways, shaping its development and use in ways that do not exacerbate harms for vulnerable populations in education. There is an acute need to provide education stakeholders with opportunities to contribute to the development of such policies - from legal regulations to local level guidelines - that both respond to and shape the use of AI. This Discovery Project will be instrumental in contributing to Australia’s policy development regarding the ethical use of AI. This development involve diverse stakeholders in building policy tools, including education-specific algorithmic impact assessments and guidelines for the ethical procurement and use of education technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Policing Australian Popular Music. This project will be the first comprehensive study of the relationship between policing and popular music in Australia. An interdisciplinary approach brings together criminology, music, history, social work, cultural, and music education research to investigate the processes by which certain forms of popular music and affiliated communities have been criminalised, and the ways musicians and musical communities have voiced resistance to police and state power. Through innovative interview and arts-practice based methodologies, the project will generate new knowledge on the historic and contemporary relations between state governance and creative cultural expression to inform policy and practice in policing as well as cultural investments. Field of research: 4402 - Criminology The Australian colonial nation state has always had a particular relationship to crime, with sovereign land stolen, and First Nations people policed, in order to build a penal colony based on punishment and redemption. Music has been inextricably involved with this history, with popular music holding complex associations with both state-construed criminality and community resistance. Australia's unofficial national anthem Waltzing Matilda is about a sheep thief who suicides rather than be taken by troopers; Aboriginal artists have historically been prevented from playing specific types of music. However, the policing of music is not just an historical issue with drill rap artists, festivals and dance parties still routinely over-policed, and hip hop and other popular music used in numerous redemptive correctional programs across the country. In the 1990s one of Australia's most popular performers Nick Cave made his name singing murder ballads, feminist singer-songwriters have voiced support for the #metoo movement, and First Nations hip-hop artists such as Dobby and BARKAA have resisted state power though the Black Lives Matter lens with songs like 'I can't breathe'. There is great national value and interest in uncovering, compiling and analysing the processes by which popular music is policed, and in exploring the power of music to resist policing in ways that might also initiate social change.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Interplay between Ergodic Theory, Additive Combinatorics and Ramsey Theory. This project aims to address fundamental problems in Number Theory and Combinatorics by developing new innovative ergodic theoretic methods. Expected outcomes of the project include finding new patterns in dense subsets of trees, obtaining rigorous number-theoretic results emphasising the independence of addition and multiplication, finding infinite patterns in dense subsets of primes, and developing a multi-dimensional analogue of the dense model theory for primes. This project will provide significant benefits to Australian research via an intensive collaboration with best international and Australian researchers working in ergodic and number theory as well as will be used to educate a new generation of Australian students. Field of research: 4904 - Pure Mathematics In the late 1970’s mathematicians discovered deep connections between two seemingly unrelated topics in mathematics; that of Number Theory and that of Dynamics. Although the fact that the same ideas used to describe the motion of the solar system can be used to describe properties of the prime numbers is strikingly beautiful, this connection is not just of aesthetic importance. Indeed, our modern understanding of Number Theory and Dynamics underly the basis for much of modern technology, such as the internet, cryptography, meteorology or aerodynamics. This project aims to deepen our understanding of the connections between these two areas of mathematics, and clearly any progress in either area would contribute to the advancement of the technologies that rely upon them. Much of what we know about these connections between number theory and dynamics have only been discovered in the last 40 years, and there is certainly much that remains to be understood. Australia has many capable number theorists and dynamisists, however we have very few mathematicians working in the intersection of these two topics. This places us in a prime position to make important contributions to these significant areas of modern mathematics. This project will also contribute to educating new generations of Australian researchers by attracting honours and postgraduate students to modern fascinating areas of mathematics.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Mapping the Frontiers of Private Property in Australia. This project aims to develop a new DH dataset, systematically documenting and mapping the first generation of Australian private property ownership. The project expects to generate new knowledge of this phenomenon in New South Wales from 1788 onwards, using historical records to develop a digital map that shows where, when and to what extent parcels of land in NSW moved from Crown ownership into private hands. Expected outcomes include an open access map that will for the first time enable scholars to place the history of property ownership into conversation with other aspects of Australian history. Among its benefits it will enable future scholarly work and citizen engagement to effectively extend knowledge of Australia's property history. Field of research: 4406 - Human Geography The value of present-day Australian residential real estate sales is estimated from Australian Bureau of Statistics data to be around A$250 billion per year. While we know much about the activity of transferring property from one owner to another, we know very little of the origins of this practice in Australia. The acquisition and transfer of property was one of the founding cultural and economic activities of Australian history from colonisation to the present day, and proprty remains a dominant source of wealth and security for many Australians. This research will locate Australia's enduring relationship with land and real estate historically, showing how the evolution of the aggregate national property portfolio grew in Australia's first decades, and showing how the pattern of property ownership intersected with international trade, conflict between colonial populations and between British and Indigenous Australians. Adding value to Government investment in the Time-Layered Cultural Map of Australia (LE1901000198), it will explain for the broadest audiences how property helped to make contemporary Australia. It will show the imbrication of property alienation with wider cultural debates in Australia, and especially as it concerns Indigenous Australians. In the year in which the Voice to Parliament is under debate, it will offer new tools to understand the relationship of the introduction of private property to the shape of contemporary Australian society and its debts.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Attracting, preparing, and sustaining quality teachers in early education. This project aims to address the chronic shortage of early childhood teachers in Australia, which is compromising quality and return on investment in early education. The project expects to generate new understandings about this specialist teacher workforce through an innovative, ecological, longitudinal design that will track early childhood teachers’ career trajectories and develop a world-first tool to assess early childhood teacher quality. Findings are expected to inform policy— including the Australian Government-endorsed 10-year national Workforce Strategy and the Australian Government's Early Years Strategy— to support the future sustained supply of a quality early childhood teacher workforce and improve outcomes for young children. Field of research: 3903 - Education Systems Early childhood education in Australia is in crisis, with quality and return on investment hampered by chronic early childhood teacher (ECT) shortages, high turnover, and efforts to fast track the ECT pipeline without due consideration to graduate quality. This project will provide the evidence needed to identify solutions to these problems. By tracking ECTs from degree commencement to early career, and developing an innovative, world-first tool to assess ECT graduate quality, the project will provide new insights and strategies for policy makers, higher education institutions, and early childhood providers to build and sustain a quality ECT workforce. The project will inform the Australian Government’s Early Years, Early Childhood Workforce, and National Teacher Workforce priority areas to enhance return on investment and better support the education, wellbeing, and development of Australia’s youngest children. The project will also afford excellent research training with leading early childhood researchers. Project outcomes will be promoted through our established, extensive networks with sector stakeholders, and an international ECT workforce summit. The project will place Australia at the forefront of international research and policy needed to address an early childhood workforce crisis of national and global significance.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Making Better Decisions: An Investigation of Time-Biases. The aim of this project is to empirically and normatively evaluate two kinds of time-biases. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this project will empirically investigate near-bias and future-bias in a unified manner, and use this data to inform theorising about the rationality of time-biased preferences. The project will yield a rich account of the conditions under which we display time-biases and the likely mechanisms that underlie them. This project will determine whether, and when, time-biased preferences lead to sub-optimal outcomes, and lay the groundwork for determining which strategies mitigate these biases, leading to better decisions and outcomes. Field of research: 5003 - Philosophy Time-biased reasoning tends to lead to suboptimal decision-making in which the needs of our later-selves are undervalued. The costs of time-biased decisions to our later-selves include economic, health, and environmental costs. Time-biased reasoning leads to lower future wellbeing as individuals prioritise the wellbeing (economic, health, and otherwise) of their current selves over the wellbeing of their future (and indeed past) selves. It leads to poor environmental outcomes as we over-use resources now, to the detriment of our later-selves and future generations. Determining how best to mitigate time-biased reasoning will lead to better outcomes in decision-making situations in which we are trading-off costs or benefits that will accrue to our current selves as compared to our later-selves, or future generations. The benefits of the project include better outcomes for individual and collective decision-making by determining which conditions underlie (and can hence be attenuated in order to mitigate) time-biased reasoning.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Powder Manufacturing Facility for Additive Manufacturing. This proposal aims to enhance Australian capability in advanced manufacturing by enabling academia and industry to access a new Powder Manufacturing Facility for Additive Manufacturing (AM) to produce and characterise metallic powders for AM. There is presently an urgent need to develop metallic powders specific to AM instead of relying on alloys that were developed for traditional processes and that are not performing optimally in AM due to the fundamental physical differences between modern and traditional manufacturing technologies. Additionally, within this new facility, investigations on recycling metal products into powders to be used in AM will be conducted, providing new opportunities to achieve a circular economy. Field of research: 4014 - Manufacturing Engineering This new facility will provide opportunities to Australian researchers to advance the field of additive manufacturing (AM) and to develop new metallic alloys for AM applications. This unique powder manufacturing facility will enable innovations and collaborations in AM, as well as providing training for the next generation of materials and manufacturing scientists and engineers that are needed to support the local manufacturing industry. This project will leverage substantially existing capabilities at the five universities involved in this proposal by giving them access to a much-needed capability. This new equipment will be available to all Australian researchers, including those in remote and rural areas. This facility will also enable research into material recycling which will have a positive environmental impact by providing an alternative to the depletion of natural resources. This new research facility will be part of an advanced manufacturing research facility at USYD that has been collaborating with industry since its creation to enhance Australian manufacturing. All the CIs on this proposal have long-standing collaborations with industry and have experience translating their research outcomes to industrial applications. The outcomes of the research projects conducted using this new facility will enable the development of new alloys and open opportunities to Australia to produce its own metallic powder for its growing AM industry.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2024 · 2024-01

Deep imaging for understanding molecular processes in complex organisms. This project aims to establish a new fluorescence-based imaging platform that provides an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spectral discrimination for investigating molecular processes deep within biological tissues. It aims to generate fundamental knowledge in biology, chemistry and materials science relevant to emerging technologies including synthetic tissue construction, nanoparticle assisted delivery of bioactive compounds, molecular sensors, and designer plants. Expected outcomes are high impact discoveries, training opportunities, cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations and publications addressing fundamental questions that will ultimately contribute to improved crop production and biomedical products. Field of research: 3206 - Medical Biotechnology In order to understand and manipulate plant and animal biological systems we need to be able to see processes that are happening deep within their tissues. Existing facilities in Australia are not able to capture spatiotemporal detail of tissues at sufficient resolution. The proposed facility will be a multi-photon microscope unique in Australia in its ability to penetrate complex tissues and discern biochemical processes. This facility will advance our understanding of how macromolecules and cells interact, which will promote the development of different disciplines ranging from nanobiotechnology to neurophysiology to developmental biology. Such understanding will form the basis for future technologies in synthetic tissue construction, nanoparticle-assisted delivery of bioactive compounds, molecular sensors, and designer plants. Potential future applications of these technologies in medicine and food include new ways to heal wounds, deliver targeted medicines and improve food production by changing plant architecture. The imaging enabled by this microscope will enable the broad collaborative networks of the team to better understand agricultural and biological systems, therefore bringing together new cross-institutional expertise. The team will use their extensive industry networks to ensure impacts beyond academia. The unprecedented images available from the microscope will facilitate engaging public and schools outreach activities.